Recipe: Lite and Simple Pasta Salad

This is my go to recipe when I need something fast and easy. It is especially great when you need something for the next day because you can serve it cold. Tastes great warm, too, though.

Ingredients:

Tri color rotini pasta
Slices black olives
Minced garlic
Olive oil
Lemon juice
Black pepper

Options: diced tomato, feta cheese or parmesan cheese OR if  you really want to do an easy meal reaplace the garlic, olive oil and lemon juice with a light Italian dressing

You will notice I did not add amounts to my ingredients. That is because it is all really dependent upon taste and can be adjusted easily to the amount of pasta you need. I usually make a full box of the pasta when I cook this and take leftovers as a lunch to work. The beauty of this is that if you don't have the money for adding the extra ingredients or just can't get to the store, it is just as delicious in it's most simple form.

• Boil the pasta, strain and run under cold water. 
• Add enough olive oil to lightly coat the pasta and toss it together. 
• Add lemon juice to taste. Do not add enough to create a liquid pool in the bowl, just enough to cover the pasta. Usually this is about 2 teaspoons. If you do not love lemon taste just add a bit. 
• Add the garlic, also to taste. I add about a tablespoon. If you are a garlic lover, go crazy. 
• Drain the can of olives (I get the already sliced ones in a small can) and add them. 
• Pepper to taste, don't overdo it. 
• Also feel free to add other ingredients if you choose. 
• Toss it all again. If you are using a large Tupperware bowl put the lid on and shake. 

Voila!!! 

WHY I AM MISERABLE AT BEING ORGANIZED AND SUCCESSFUL: A story with CATS

Lucy aka "Boogalu"

In this post I will digress a bit. Last night I had the most ridiculously stupid and hilarious conversation with my boyfriend about our cats. It was totally random. And after this conversation I realized it was more evidence of how completely whacked out my brain is and probably a huge contributor to why my mothering and housekeeping skills are so wanting.

First I should give you some background information. We have 3 cats. And we often have conversations on their behalf. Each has a distinct voice and personality.

First is Lucy. She is nearly 17 years old and has been with me from kittenhood. This cat is getting very cuddly in her old age, but when my kids were little she hated them with a passion. She also never is fond of female cats, but will warm up to male ones, when she feels like it. She is very no nonsense and demanding, but sweet as can be too. She talks very straight forward and sounds a bit, I guess, like a truck stop waitress.

Pixie aka "Zoom Zoom Kitty"

Then we have Pixie. The Man adopted her already full grown so we don't know her exact age. She is probably 13 or 14. Pixie is very tiny and timid. She was declawed before he adopted her and she hates to have her feet touched. She did not know how to be a cat until my cats came around. She sometimes would play with her crinkle ball, but that was about it. She hated my cats at first and still barely tolerates Lucy. But she has found Winkie (the male) to be quite fun and chases him around a lot. And she has started to imitate his cuter behaviors. Mostly she keeps to herself, but if one of the other cats wants food when she is already eating she will give them a good old fashioned smack down. When Pixie talks it is very sweet and quiet, if somewhat indignant at times.

Winkie aka "Captain Fluffytail"

Finally there is Winkie. He is a black and white Maine Coon who is almost 4. I adopted him with his sister Tinkerbell who is not longer with us. I had not planned to adopt more than one kitty, but suddenly there was a fluffy tiny kitty rubbing against my foot. I picked him up and gasped in horror. He was missing an eye and I thought something had just happened. Nope, he was born that way. The one-eyed runt of the litter who started purring like mad the second I picked him up. Oh, you better believe I had to take him too. He is no longer a runt. As he neared 25 pounds we put him on a diet and he is now down to around 20. Still huge, but hopefully more healthy.  We tell people he is so big because he is just so full of love. As I type this he just hopped up on my lap purring. We talk for Winkie the most. In fact even my coworkers are familiar with his "voice" since I use it all the time there too. For some reason he sounds a lot like Patrick from Spongebob. I have no idea why and only recently noticed the similarity. We don't think he is stupid, but to us that is just how we think he talks.

So that brings us to the conversation. We were about to go to bed and The Man starts to laugh. I shouldn't have asked what it was about, but I did. He said, "What if the cats really could talk but actually sound nothing like we think they sound? Like, what if Winkie is actually all sophisticated?"

Well, there you go. Now I can't stop thinking about it myself. We spend the next little bit talking with a bit like Mr. Howe meets Mr. Darcy and cracking ourselves up. Then we move on to Pixie and start talking like some ex-con/gang member. Now we really started laughing. This lasted a half hour. What is wrong with me? This is what I spend my time thinking about? No wonder I am not independently wealthy yet.